FEMADR-542-NCMajor disasterDeclared November 9, 1977
DR-542-NC: North Carolina Severe Storms & Flooding
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for North Carolina (DR-542-NC) on November 9, 1977 for the incident of November 9, 1977 to November 9, 1977; it covers 16 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-542-NC (also written FEMA-542-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- North Carolina
- Incident
- Flood: Severe Storms & Flooding
- Incident period
- November 9, 1977 to November 9, 1977
- Declared
- November 9, 1977
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance
- FEMA region
- 4
- Place in the year
- the only major disaster declaration for North Carolina in 1977
- Status
- closed out on May 10, 1984
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
Which areas are covered, and for what?
| Designated area | Individuals and Households | Individual Assistance (older program) | Public Assistance | Hazard Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashe (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Avery (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Buncombe (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Burke (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Caldwell (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Catawba (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Haywood (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Henderson (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Madison (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| McDowell (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Mitchell (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Polk (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Rutherford (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Watauga (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Wilkes (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Yancey (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
An area can be added to a declaration after the first day, or have a program added: this table is FEMA's current list.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
How much has FEMA approved?
FEMA has published no assistance totals for this declaration.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2); FEMA, OpenFEMA FEMA Web Disaster Summaries (v1). Data as of September 29, 2026.
FEMA's page for this declaration
FEMA's own page for this declaration is fema.gov/disaster/542. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.